Plantago ovata |
Plantago hookeriana |
|
---|---|---|
blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain |
California plantain, Hooker's plantain, tallow weed |
|
Habit | Annuals; roots taproots, slender. | Annuals; roots taproots, slender. |
Stems | 0–30 mm, often branched. |
0–10 mm. |
Leaves | 10–230 × 0.5–12 mm; blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous. |
60–120 × 4–10 mm; blade linear, margins toothed (teeth to 4 mm), rarely entire, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or sericeous. |
Scapes | 10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long. |
280–580 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short. |
Spikes | grayish or brownish, 20–400 mm, densely flowered, flowers in spirals; bracts ovate or elliptic, 1.7–4 mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals, apex not reached by green nerve. |
greenish or brownish, 50–180 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs; bracts ovate or triangular, 1.5–6 mm, length 0.6–1.4 times sepals, apex acute or acuminate. |
Flowers | sepals 1.9–3.5 mm; corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate; stamens 4. |
sepals 2.5–4 mm; corolla bilaterally symmetric, abaxial and lateral lobes reflexed, adaxial erect, 2.2–2.5 mm, base slightly cordate; stamens 4, connective significantly elongated, apex acute. |
Seeds | 2, 2–2.6 mm. |
2, 2.4–3.4 mm. |
2n | = 8. |
= 20. |
Plantago ovata |
Plantago hookeriana |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Sandy deserts and steppes. | Sandy soils, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) | 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora); Eurasia; Africa
|
LA; MS; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
|
Discussion | From molecular evidence, S. C. Meyers and A. Liston (2008) suggested that Plantago ovata was introduced to North America during the Pleistocene. They recognized four varieties; North American specimens can be treated as two varieties based on bract and corolla color: the inland var. fastigiata (E. Morris) S. C. Meyers & Liston (midribs of mature flower bracts green, corolla lobes without reddish brown midribs) and the coastal var. insularis (Eastwood) S. C. Meyers & Liston (midribs of mature flower bracts brown, corolla lobe midribs prominent, reddish brown). Unfortunately, these features are not easily seen on many herbarium specimens, and these taxa are not recognized here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 290. | FNA vol. 17, p. 287. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. insularis, P. insularis var. fastigiata | P. hookeriana var. nuda |
Name authority | Forsskål: Fl. Aegypt.-Arab., 31. (1775) | Fischer & C. A. Meyer: Index Seminum (St. Petersburg) 1838: 39. (1839) |
Web links |